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Borderlands pop culture references
There are a number of pop culture references (memes, movie references, etc) in the game: Books and Comics A Brief History of Time Graffiti found on walls: "Turtles all the way down" The phrase "Turtles all the way down" comes from a tale most popularly related in Stephen Hawking's book A Brief History of Time: }} The Canterbury Tales Weapon: Lady Finger The Canterbury Tales is a collection of stories about a group traveling to Canterbury. The stories are generally categorized in frames, where the stories within the frame are somehow related, while the relationship between frames is less apparent. The Prioress's Tale tells the story of Madam Eglantine, who wears a ring with the inscription "Amor vincit omnia", which translates into "love conquers all". The flavor text of the Lady Finger, Omnia Vincit Amor, means the same. The name Lady Finger may refer to the fingers of the prioress, where the ring was worn. The Dark Tower Character: Roland Roland shares his name with the protagonist from the series of books "The Dark Tower", written by Stephen King. Many other themes and terms are shared, such as the Hunter's fighting bird (David in The Waste Lands). Coincidentally, Mordecai's Gunslinger COM improves the use of Revolvers, which not only are Roland's (Dark Tower Roland, not BL) preferred weapon, but also affixes the title of Gunslinger, by which DT Roland is formally addressed. Fight Club Character: Chuck Durden Chuck Durden refers to ''Fight Club''. Chuck Palahniuk wrote the book, and its main character is Tyler Durden. Frankenstein Enemy: Tankenstein The name Tankenstein is a reference to the Frankenstein's Monster by Mary Shelley. Its appearance matches the widely accepted appearance of the eponymous monster. Tankensteins are healed by Shock damage; in the book Dr. Frankenstein uses power harnessed from lightening to reanimate a dead body. The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy franchise Character: Lucky Zaford His last name is a reference to the characters Zaphod Beeblebrox and Ford Prefect. Claptrap (Old Haven): "I think you ought to know I'm feeling very depressed." A phrase often said by Marvin, the depressed robot in Hitchhikers Guide To The Galaxy. The entire speech of this Claptrap is very similar to how Marvin feels in the book and the rest of the series. Taylor Kobb's Hacked Claptrap: "... OR... I could stick an electrode up my back panel and call it paradise." '' Refers to a ploy by Ford Prefect, one of the main characters, in which he disables a security bot by short circuiting its decision making processes, located in a back panel, causing it to find everything impossibly pleasurable. The Lord of the Rings ''Enemy: Helob The Spiderant Helob refers to the giant spider Shelob from the Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers. Zombie TK Baha: "Boil 'em, mash 'em, stick 'em in a stew" A reference to The Lord of The Rings: The Two Towers where Sam is preparing dinner and trying to explain to Gollum what 'taters' are. Mission: Purple Juice! The first mission that Thirsty the Midget offers references the names of the hobbits in The Lord of The Rings Trilogy. Restore Brandybuck, Took, Gamgee, and Underhill pumps. Merchant of Venice Psycho: "Now it's time for my pound of flesh!" Refers to Shylock's line in the play Merchant of Venice by William Shakespeare. In the play, a "pound of flesh" is to be the payment to Shylock from his client for defaulting on a loan. Moby Dick Mission: T.K.'s Life And Limb Baha is Ahab backwards, and in the book, Ahab was driven mad to find and kill the White Whale after his leg was taken from him. Scar also has several weapons embedded into his head, and is extremely tough. Moby Dick was described as having several harpoons in his head, and numerous scars from where many sailors tried, and failed, to kill him. Games 'World Of Warcraft' Acheivement - Group LF Healer In the game World Of Warcraft, people group up together looking for people to help them by spamming things in chat like "LF (looking for) Healer for ) Weapon Rarity In World of Warcraft, the rarity of reward items (drops) is coded by colour, shown in the name of the item. The scale of rarity, most common first, goes Grey > White > Green > Blue > Purple > Orange'.' Achievement - Ding! ' In World of Warcraft, it is commonplace to notify other gamers of levelling up by posting the message 'ding' in party or general chat BioShock ''Guardian Angel: "Would you kindly give him a hand?" This quote is the trigger to the first Claptrap Rescue mission. The phrase "Would You Kindly" was the trigger phrase used by the main antagonist of BioShock, another game published by 2K Games, to force the player's character to perform actions. As with Bioshock, the storyline will not advance until you have completed this mission. Blaster Master Blaster Master Outrunner color The name for this color is a reference to a NES game with the same name, featuring a buggy-like tank with a red color scheme. Brother In Arms Area: Road's End Upon nearing the armory, the player will see one last highway sign that reads "Road To Hill 30" which is a reference to the Brothers In Arms series where one of the games is named "Brother In Arms: Road To Hill 30".There is also a sign that reads "Hell's Highway" which is a reference to "Brothers in Arms:Hell's Highway". Diablo 2 Enemy: Rakkinishu A reference to the Diablo 2 mini-boss Rakanishu, that you face before entering Tristram. Rakkinishu drops a shield called Cracked Sash, a common item from Diablo 2. Paint Scheme: Lancer - Diablo The red colour of Diablo's titular end boss is repeated in the "Diablo" colour scheme of the Lancer. Gauntlet Mission: Earl Needs Food... Badly In the old coin-operated arcade game Gauntlet, each of the four characters would receive a unique spoken warning when their life was running low. The Elf's warning message was "Elf needs food, badly!". House of the Dead Mission: House of the Ned House of the Dead is an arcade game developed by Sega. Players take on the role of agents trying to kill the monsters created by Dr. Curien, a scientist who tried to discover the nature of life and death, but his experiments resulted in dangerous monsters. '''Metal Gear Solid 2 Level Cap (as of Gen. Knoxx DLC) The level cap of 61 is possibly a reference to a notable scene in Metal Gear Solid 2, where upon Raiden's journey into Arsenal Gear, Colonel Campbell speaks strange phrases -- one of them being "I need scissors! Sixty-one!" The MGS2 scene in question can be watched here This might also be a reference to the number of Saturn's moons, total of 61, and one of which is named Pandora. ' (Alternatively, the 11 extra levels might be a reference to the phrase "These go to eleven", which stands for exceeding expected mileage from equipment and was first uttered in the film This is Spinal Tap, where the guitarists shows off volume knobs that go to eleven.) Ratchet and Clank Weapon:Maliwan Rhino ''Example: http://ratchet.wikia.com/wiki/RYNO_V The most powerful weapon in the Ratchet and Clank series, it is commonly a mini gun rocket launcher with numerous barrels (An overkill weapon). R.Y.N.O in the Ratchet and Clank series means: “Rip You A New One”, it is known to be the 'deadliest weapon in the known universe' according to GrummelNet. In Borderlands it is the brand name for the most powerful rocket launchers made by Maliwan as an homage to the Ratchet and Clank series (it is also the most powerful rocket launcher brand in the game, following the tradition of the RYNO series). Sonic the Hedgehog Paint Scheme: Racer - Blue Blur Sonic the Hedgehog, from the self-titled series, is as his name would suggest, a hedgehog. Sonic is capable of phenomenal speed, provided he doesn't stop or collide with anything. One of Sonic the Hedgehog's nicknames is 'The Big Bad Blue Blur', and the Racer's Blue Paint-Scheme is thus named after him. Super Mario Bros. Achievement: My Brother is an Italian Plumber The eponymous "Mario Bros," Mario and Luigi are Italian heroes known for their jumping skills (Mario was at first named "Jumpman"). Though modern depictions rarely feature any elements of plumbing besides Warp Pipes and the brothers' signature overalls originally in the arcade game Super Mario Bros. Mario and Luigi were tasked with purging a sewer of turtles and crabs through jumping onto or into the pests. Zero Wing Mission: Dumpster Diving For Great Justice Part of a popular internet meme where phrases were wrongly translated from Japanese to English, the best-known being "All your base are belong to us". The phrase "For Great Justice" was supposed to be "Our hopes for the future..." Mission: Athena Set Up Us The Bomb '' The title of this mission is also a reference to Zero Wing from the phrase: Someone set up us the bomb. Call Of Duty Franchise The Circle of Duty name in Secret Armory of General Knoxx is based off Call of Duty. The final Circle of Duty mission awards with the Medal of Duty which is a combination of Call of Duty and Medal of Honor, two famous FPS series. Left 4 Dead ''Challenges: I hate dogs; I hate bugs The challenge titles might be a reference to Francis from Left 4 Dead. The biker is famous for his "I hate ___" quotes. Halo Series Enemies: Lance Probe These enemies have almost identical sounds in regards to their hover jets that they use to fly and their voices, resembling the oracle from Halo. Music Another one Bites the Dust Roland: "Another one bites the dust" Often-used term when defeating an opponent. Roland may say this after killing an enemy. Originates from Another one bites the dust by Queen. I'm on a Boat Achievement: You're on a boat! A reference to the song I'm on a Boat by The Lonely Island. Master Exploder Achievement: Master Exploder Is a reference to the song Master Exploder by Tenacious D. Sabotage Mission: Schemin' That Sabotage Possibly a reference to the song Sabotage by The Beastie Boys. Death is the only way out Death Is the Only Way Out - Joseph Bishara from Mortal Kombat: Annihilation Soundtrack. Track 17 Smoke on the Water Eridian Weapon Description: Smoke on the water... A reference to the song Smoke on the Water by Deep Purple. '''Psycho Killer Dahl Penetrator Description: Sniper Killer, Qu'est que c'est? Reference to the song Psycho Killer by Talking Heads, using lyrics from the song's chorus. Baby Got Back Dahl Anaconda Description: Long and Strong Reference to a line in the song, "Baby Got Back" by Sir Mix-A-Lot. Getting Better Roland: "Getting better all the time!" (On level-up) Reference to "Getting Better" by the Beatles. Places Grassy Knoll Location: Trashy Knoll The Grassy Knoll is a small, sloping hill inside the plaza that became famous following the John F. Kennedy assassination. The knoll was above President Kennedy and to his right (west and north) during the assassination. Several witnesses reported hearing shots from its direction. In Borderlands, the Trashy Knoll is located in the north-eastern part of the Rust Commons East. Here, you have to kill Slither. Arthur Treacher's Restaurant Location: Treacher's Landing Being a seafaring town, this may be a reference to Arthur Treacher's fast sea-food restaurants. Road's End (Fort Knoxx road sign) On Road's end, fighting the Crimson Lance on foot, there is a road sign: "Fort Knoxx 20km" Fort Knox is a famous "impenetrable" vault in America that holds vast quantities of the country's refined gold. TV and Film A Christmas Story Location: Hidden Basement A secret room can be found in New Haven. Inside this room is a leg lamp. In the movie, The Old Man gets a lamp shaped like a leg. Furthermore, only in this basement can the Rider be found, another reference to this movie. In the movie, Ralph continuously asks for a Red Ryder BB Gun, to which everyone responds: "You'll shoot your eye out." The flavor text on this weapon (Careful... you might put someone's eye out. ') further adds to the reference. Aliens ''Underdome wave 18: "Game over, man. Game over." This is a quote from the character Hudson. Back to the Future Achievement: 1.21 Gigawatts 1.21 Gigawatts is the power requirement for time travel. Although in the Back to the Future movie series, from which the reference originated, it is pronounced as 1.21 Jiggawatts, perhaps lending itself to mean a much larger amount of energy, as it is seen as almost insurmountable as Doc remarks that "the only thing with that kind of power would be... a bolt of lightning." Big Brother Mission: Big Crimson Brother is Watching This mission involves destroying 5 Crimson Lance Security Cameras found throughout the T-Bone Junction. This is simply a reference to the Reality show, Big Brother (see discussion) which itself is based upon the ideas from the novel "1984." Bloodsport Brick's last skill in the Brawler skill line, Bloodsport, is a reference to the martial arts/action movie. Beavis and Butthead The dance the Claptrap in Fyrestone does is closely similar to the dance that Butthead performed on the 1990's television show. Canvas News Challenge: Boom goes the dynamite 19-year old Brian Collins has to replace the regular sports guy, but he fails horribly. One phrase from this broadcast turned into a meme, namely the phrase "Boom goes the dynamite." Night of the Living Dead The mission "Night of the Living Ned" is based on the title of the famous zombie cult classic "Night of the Living Dead" . Deliverance Quote: "You're gonna squeal before we cook ya" A random enemy may shout this phrase, referring to the movie Deliverance, where Ned Beatty's character is forced to squeal like a pig during a hillbilly encounter. Die Hard Character: Bruce McClane The name Bruce McClane is a combination of the name of the protagonist from Die Hard, Officer John McClane, and the actor who played him, Bruce Willis. Dragon Ball Z Xbox Live / PSN profile information If a player gets more than 9000 kills online, his Xbox Live profile will read "Kills Over 9000". On the PSN, it sill simply say "Kills: 9000". This is a reference to the famous Dragon Ball Z meme, where Nappa asks Vegeta "What does the scouter say about his power level?" Vegeta's reply to that is: "It's over NINE THOUSAND!" This meme can be viewed here. '''Dukes of Hazzard Runner colour The General Flee colour on the runners is a reference to the iconic dodge charger The General Lee. ''The main colour of the body is the same and both feature numbers painted on the side (runners feature a 00 and the Lee features 01). Evil Dead ''Weapon: Boom Stick In the third movie of this series Bruce's character Ash wields a sawn-off shotgun he calls his "Boomstick". Also, the flavor text of this weapon is Beyond Groovy. "Groovy" is Ash's signature phrase. Also, Baron Flynt, from whom you get the Boom Stick, bears a very strong resemblance to Bruce Campbell, who played Ash. Firefly Character: Jaynis Kobb Reference to the character Jayne Cobb from the TV show Firefly. In the seventh episode, "Jaynestown", the characters enter a mining town where the locals hail Jayne (who is a violent, amoral gunman who'd tried to steal money from the local magistrate years before) as a hero. Forrest Gump Character: Zombie TK Baha Dead TK talks about all the ways to cook brains, similar to when Benjamin Buford 'Bubba' Blue lists different ways to prepare shrimp. Ghostbusters Character Dialogue: Mad Moxxi - "You... you've earned it." Occasionally, during the Intermission while Moxxi drops party favors, she'll remark "You... you've earned it." In the movie Ghostbusters, Bill Murray's character (Dr. Peter Venkman) says the exact same line while rewarding Egon Spengler with a Baby Ruth candy-bar. Godzilla Enemies: Skagzilla and Mothrakk The names of these enemies refer to Godzilla, a giant monster, and Mothra, a giant moth, respectively. Idiocracy Claptrap repair kit A claptrap repair kit can have the description "It's got what claptraps crave". This refers to the drink "Brawndo" that completely replaces water in the movie Idiocracy. The slogan for "Brawndo" is "It's got what X craves", where X could be replaced by anything. Jem Character: Lilith Lilith resembles the titular character of the animated TV series, "Jem". They both appear as women with heavy make-up and they have bright colored hair. The achievement Truly Outrageous, which can only be acquired with Lilith, is a catch phrase; in the opening theme Jerrica states that Jem is "Truly Outrageous". Lethal Weapon Character: Mad Mel Before your showdown with Mad Mel, you are warned that he is a 'lethal weapon in any vehicle'. Mel Gibson plays Sgt. Martin Riggs in the movie Lethal Weapon. Weapon: Torgue Friendly Fire In Lethal Weapon, Martin Riggs upstages his veteran partner at the shooting range by firing a smiley-face pattern into a paper target at nearly twice the range before remarking "Have a nice day..." Mad Max Character: Mad Mel The name Mad Mel is a combination Mad Max, a character from the similarly named movie series, and Mel Gibson, his actor. Enemies: Skags In the Mad Max movie series, low-life wanderers and bandits are called skags. Skill: Master Blaster In the third Mad Max movie, two characters named The Master and The Blaster, who can combine into Master Blaster. DLC: Mad Moxxi's Underdome Riot The title of the third Mad Max movie is Mad Max: Beyond Thunderdome, in which the protagonist is conscripted to fight in arena deathmatches. The Madness of King George Weapon: Atlas Cyclops The flavor text "I have you in my eye, sir." is a quote from this movie. 'The Matrix' Character: Claptrap During the mission Claptrap Rescue in Fyrestone, when Claptrap is incapacitated by a bandit vehicle attack, it is heard to moan "Oh... I can see the code!" This is likely a reference to the films eponymous computer program. This can also be heard by any incapacitated Claptrap (except the one in Lockdown Palace, who is locked in place, not injured) around Pandora. Merry Melodies Weapon: ''Whitting's Elephant Gun The flavor text for this gun, "Why don't you go shoot yourself an Elephant" is a line spoken by Bugs Bunny to Elmer Fudd during the 1951 Merry Melody short "Rabbit Fire". Monty Python ''Achievement: There are some who call me... Tim Upon being asked for his name by King Arthur in Monty Python and the Holy Grail, Tim the Enchanter answers with: "There are some who call me... Tim." Weapon: Maliwan Crux The flavor text for this gun, Bring out your Dead, is a quote from Monty Python and the Holy Grail where a body cleaner is saying this phrase throughout the street. Roland's Medic Phrase: "It's just a flesh wound!" Roland states this phrase (among others) when he revives a team mate. This loosely refers to the Black Knight when he says "Just a flesh wound", despite having both his arms lopped off. Mystery Science Theater 3000 Achievement: Can't We Get BEYOND Thunderdome? Refers to a joke told by the robots Crow and Tom Servo in episode 706: Tom: "You see, if you live long enough, eventually, someone's going to say the word Thunderdome in your presence." Crow: "That's right, and I'm guessing most of you aren't equipped with a snappy comeback." Tom: "Well..." Crow: "We're gonna give you one." Tom: "We'll act it out for you. Ahem... Boy, I still think we really screwed up on that whole Thunderdome-fiasco." Crow: "Oh, come on, can't we get BEYOND Thunderdome?" This scene can be seen here. It also could be a reference from Mad Max ; Beyond Thunderdome. Not Without My Daughter Mission: Not Without My Claptrap This mission may also be a reference to other movies or series, possible others are Pirates of the Carribean and South Park. This movie is the most likely the mission refers to. Pulp Fiction Mission: I've Got A Sinking Feeling... The names of the ships you have to sink (Righteous Man, Great Vengeance and Furious Anger) refer to the fictionalized version of Ezekiel 25:17 Samuel L. Jackson's character recites. This scene can be found here. Mission: Ned's undead, baby, Ned's undead Reference to the line "Zed's dead, baby. Zed's dead." This scene can be seen here. The Rock Quote: "I'll take pleasure in gutting you, boy" A random enemy may shout this phrase, referring to the movie The Rock where the same phrase was shouted. The Royal Tenenbaums Character: Mordecai In the movie, Richie has a pet falcon called Mordecai. This is also reflected in Mordecai having a pet Bloodwing, a bird not too different from a falcon. The Running Man Quote: "Who loves you and who do you love?" Character: Mad Moxxi In the movie The Running Man, Richard Dawson's character, Damon Killian, uses this phrase as his catch phrase during the movie. Mad Moxxi uses this phrase at different times during any round Saturday Night Live Enemies: Hanz and Franz Hanz and Franz are based on Hans and Franz, two characters from "Pumping Up with Hans and Franz". They spoofed Arnold Schwarzenegger by using padding for fake muscles, drab gray sweatsuits, weight belts, and Austrian accents. Scare Tactics Bandit: "Are you scared? You should be" Scare Tactics is a TV show where the main goal is to scare people. If it succeeds, the someone goes to the victim and asks "Are you scared?" The victim usually answers with a yes, and they would get the reply "You shouldn't be! You're on Scare Tactics!" Sesame Street Menu Screen: Claptrap Claptrap hums, "Nooney-nooney-noon..." as he rolls by in the background of the Menu Screen. This is a possible reference to the Typerwriter Cartoon from classic 1970's era Sesame Street. Slumdog Millionaire Achievement: Pandora-dog Millionaire In the movie, a boy from the slums, who manages to make a lot of money from a television quiz show. To get this achievement, you'll have to collect $1,000,000, similar to how the slumdog from the movie earns a lot of money from the show. Space Balls Location: Ludicrous Speedway In the movie, there is a speed "Ludicrous speed", which is faster than both Light speed and "Ridiculous speed".A referance to spaceballs Challenge: Hot! Too Hot!! Reference to the scene where Dark Helmet is drinking coffee and exclaims "HOT! TOO HOT!" Challenges: Who made that man a gunner? and Keep firing In this scene Dark Helmet first comments on the gunner, telling him "shoot across her nose, not up it." Upon finding out the gunner is crossed eyed, he asks: "Who made that man a gunner?" Later in the same scene, after finding out everyone on the bridge has the surname "Asshole", Dark Helmet directs them to "keep firing, Assholes!" Star Wars Taylor Kobb: "a hive of scum and villainy" '' Obi-Wan Kenobi calls the Mos Eisley space port "a wretched hive of scum and villainy" in the original Star Wars movie, Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope. This Is Spinal Tap The dials on Marshall amplifiers typically have a number range from zero to ten. In the mockumentary ''This Is Spinal Tap Guitarist Nigel Tufnel boasts that the dials on his amps all go to eleven. This forms the inspiration for the level cap increase by 11 in The Secret Armory of General Knoxx. Trading Places Challenge: How Much For The Gun? In the scene where Louis is in the pawn shop trading in his expensive watch, he notices a revolver and asks the pawn broker, "How much for the gun?" Trigun Marcus: "This is not a planet of peace and love" A reference to the catch-phrase '"Love and Peace"' of the Trigun-character Vash the Stampede. Location: Pandora The world/planet that Trigun is set in and the planet of Pandora are similar; with both planets being mostly a desert wasteland where bandits roam the wastes and various small settlements are scattered throughout the planet. Challenge: Human Tsunami A two-fold reference to Trigun. The main character was famed (albeit falsely) for being the first humanoid localized natural disaster, resulting in him being nicknamed "The Humanoid Typhoon" due to the unnatural aura of destruction that seemed to follow him. In addition, he also had an advanced prosthetic left arm with a SMG hidden in it that he could use. (An upgrade midway through the series; it had originally been a shotgun) This challenge has players kill 2,500 enemies with SMG's. Unbreakable Brick's last skill in the Tank skill line, Unbreakable, is a reference to the psychological/thriller movie. Full Metal Jacket Challenge: I am Become Death In the movie Full Metal Jacket, The Character Animal Mother has the words I am Become Death printed on His helmet which is a reference to the first testing of a nuclear weapon by the manhattan project when Dr. Oppenheimer quoted this from the Hindu Bible The Thaw House located in Dahl headlands next to the race track with insects and dead bandits inside the reference is to the Thaw, a horror movie directed by Mark A. Lewis in which some scientists find a dead mammoth that starts to thaw in the arctic. This releases a previously extinct species of ticks that burrow in through skin and lay eggs in ones body. People Nikola Tesla Challenge: Nikola is a friend of mine Nikola Tesla was a famed inventor in the 19th and 20th centuries, perhaps best known for his advancements in commercial electricity, and, by extension, the Tesla coil. Tesla coils are now used primarily for entertainment, as they can send out huge bolts of electricity into the air when turned on. Muhammad Ali Brick's skill, "Sting like a Bee' could be a reference to one of Muhammad Ali's most famous quotes, "Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee." Adolf Hitler Crazy Earl has a moustache identical to Adolf Hitler's. Despite also being worn by comedy icon Charlie Chaplin, the social stigma now associated with the tiny, little moustache means only the most maladjusted would ever wear one again. Governments and Nations In God We Trust Graffiti: "IN GUN WE TRUST" It is not so easy to notice this one but if you play in high resolution, it is clear that a graffiti says "IN GUN WE TRUST". Republic A-10 "Thunderbolt II" Paint Scheme: Runner - Mean Green The red maw and jagged, shark-like teeth on the driver's pod of a Runner with a 'Mean Green' paint-scheme is similar to the pattern on the A-10 attack plane currently used by the United States. Category:Gameplay